Processing facilities are often managed using process control systems. Example processing facilities include manufacturing plants, chemical plants, crude oil refineries, and ore processing plants. Among other operations, process control systems typically manage the use of motors, valves, and other industrial equipment in the processing facilities.
One of the most important functions of process control systems is the ability to provide effective tools for operators to monitor and control processes. These tools often include process schematics that graphically illustrate the processes being controlled. These tools also often include graphical faceplates, which typically can be displayed over a process schematic and are used to control a process. For example, faceplates can be used by operators to set desired process targets, monitor for discrepancies against process targets, change modes of operation, and make modifications to a process.
In the past, faceplates have been associated with scripts that could be executed to automatically select elements within the faceplates. For example, a script could allow a particular element in a faceplate to be highlighted so that an operator can immediately change that element (without requiring the operator to manually select that element in the faceplate). As particular examples, a script could automatically select a faceplate parameter (such as an SP, OP, or mode parameter) based on a selected mode or a received command. While this may reduce the need for an operator to manually select an element in a faceplate, some view this functionality as a security or safety hazard. For instance, a script that detected a command could not accurately determine if the command was meant to be handled by a particular faceplate or another display, and sometimes the script would execute when it was not meant to be. Consequently, if two operators were viewing the same faceplate on different consoles and one operator changed the mode, this would cause the faceplate to auto-select for both operators, which was seen as a safety hazard since the other operator did not change the mode. Moreover, some faceplates may implement the scripts incorrectly, and other faceplates may lack the proper scripts altogether.